Spotify launches new look, adds Metallica

Spotify head Daniel Ek announced the new features, which will appear over the next month or so, AND include Follow, Audio Previews, and The Collection.

The Audio Preview feature will let you hear new music without erasing the playlist you've made, while Follow allows you to add friends or artists and listen to their playlists. Of interest to album lovers will be the ability to view your collection as albums with cover art rather than as a lengthy list.

Ek said he was a music lover at heart and that Spotify should be a gateway to music ownership: "I do happen to be one of those guys who streams and buys vinyls", he said.

As far as the business was concerned Ek told the crowd that the number of US subscriptions had grown to 1 million and that the company has paid over $500 million to rights holders, or 70 per cent of the company's revenue.